Former and current Northern Territory government child protection investigators have said the service is failing because staff are being forced to manage caseloads of up to 100 at-risk children.

Key Points:

Child protection workers allege having caseloads of up to 100

They report getting bullied after complaining

The department is working to address culture problems, says deputy CEO

They alleged to the ABC that staff who complain about pressure to close cases without enough investigation have suffered bullying and harassment.

Two internal Government reviews obtained by the ABC backed up staff complaints, but the Territory Families Department responsible for child protection said cultural issues in the Department were being addressed.

'I went to make a difference'

Experienced social worker Sinem Ketenci moved to Australia for a job in child protection in 2016 after working in Indigenous communities in Canada and New Zealand.

Originally from Turkey, she joined the department where many of her colleagues had also been recruited from overseas.

"I went to Alice Springs to try to make a difference and to help Aboriginal people in horrifying conditions in Alice Springs and surrounding areas," she said.

The review found the Department had not acted, despite multiple child protection reports about the household.

Ms Repia felt the failings were common to cases she witnessed.

"Children got left vulnerable, in dangerous situations with families using alcohol, where sexual things had happened to children, and often because of the lack of support," she said.

"It wasn't followed up fully enough."

Staff burning out

The ABC has obtained two internal reviews commissioned last year by the department into its workplace culture.

Consultants Mercer reported finding child protection workers with caseloads of between 70 and 100, pressure to close six cases per week, high staff turnover, bullying, and harassment.

"It was reported that there is management pressure to do six investigations per week, meaning workers can spend less than one day per client," the Mercer review reported.

"This reduces the quality of outcomes and contributes to burnout."

PricewaterhouseCoopers found the rising number of child protection reports were leading to delayed responses to high priority matters.

"Staff are concerned about working overtime and having insufficient breaks between shifts, leading to exhaustion and resulting in declining quality of work outputs and a reported high number of sick leave days being taken," its report stated.